This digital film is the greatest gift I have ever given. This was created to be screened at my Jamie and Grace’s wedding… as a vehicle to help people understand the love between them. In the end, it served as much more. The storyline of the cinematic portion is essentially a metaphor for Jamie and Grace running off together and beginning their journey down the “Highway of Life”. This film created a chance for me to spend more time with them as a couple, and with the wedding party as a whole, to really get a solid understanding just how special their love is. You might even look at this film as my “seal-of-approval” as Jamie’s older brother… a proper send-off as they begin their lives together.

This film is hands-down my greatest work to date. To me, it marks a paradigm-shift in my abilities as an artist. I am no longer just a kid with a skateboard shooting video (although I shot parts of this with a skateboard). I have reached a level with my creative skill-set where I am able to effectively realize my vision… and execute it on a scale like never before. I have never attempted something like the cinematic portion of this film. Quite frankly, I was not aware that I was capable. It is safe to say that all of that has changed. I assumed a plethora of the roles to create this: Producer, director, cinematographer, editor, post-production/visual-effects. I stepped way outside of my comfort-zone, and the results speak for themselves.

This film could not be any more heartfelt. I am immensely proud of it… and my brother.
I am beyond excited that I can finally share this with the world.
I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

This video’s existence will make more sense if you head on over to Team Rowdy and read about the Hot Boy Car of the Year Contest (HBCOTY).

This video was planned, and the principal photography was executed in a matter of hours. As per the rules, it was shot entirely using iPhones (4s, 5, 5s). Unfortunately, all of those phones shoot at different frame rates (23.976, 24, 30, and 120fps)… and my 5s freaked out when trying to ingest all of the footage using iMovie for iPhone. So I had to edit this video with a computer this year… whereas last year’s entry never saw a computer once. It was shot/edited/uploaded directly on/from my phone (which still blows my mind).

This video was a BLAST to make. BIG BIG thanks goes out to Greg Thore and Byron Hill for helping me shoot this on a TOTAL whim, in the freezing rain until 4am. But like the cries of the opening line screams… “when it’s cold, and when it’s dark… the freezing moon can obsess you”. And that it did.

Sometimes life picks up speed and all you can do is buckle down and hold on. The past year definitely embodies that sentiment. Since joining the team at Southern Reel back in November 2012, life has been a non-stop adventure. Chock-filled with photoshoots, video shoots, editing, designing motion graphics, touring 25 cities with the band, and everything in between… I feel like describing it all as “non-stop” is a massive understatement.

The best part about doing what you love is that it doesn’t feel like work. Working with amazing, talented people that are equally as happy to be doing what they do makes the whole package even better. In all honesty, it is totally unreal!

That being said, I wanted to update this site with a touch of what we’ve been up to. This is really just the tip of the iceberg, but a few of the bigger projects under our belt since my last update.

Starting things off… is a music video that is easily the hardest I’ve ever worked on anything ever. I got to design all the props (including the giant wooden signs outside the bar), dressed the sets, had my hand in shooting, editing, and post-production. This was the most physically/mentally demanding project I have ever worked on. While a fair share of my hand was involved, this was truly a team effort. Everyone at Southern Reel came together and worked immensely hard on this video. I am crazy proud of our team for pulling it all off… especially Cole Cassell, who directed this video.

BTS:

Back in March, Mike Williams and I spent a few days at the Southern Ground Studio in Nashville to shoot this BTS of The Wood Brothers recording their new record: The Muse.

Then in July as their record was being released, we shot/edited this music video for The Wood Brothers on location at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville.

In August I got to edit this video for one of my favorite bands, Blackberry Smoke.

Every once in a while, a body of work comes along that makes me re-evaluate myself as an artist. Renan Ozturk’s 2013 reel is one of those works. I can’t quite decide which he is stronger at… getting himself to the insane locations to shoot these shots, or actually shooting the shots themselves. It has to be a tie. That being said, once tied together… they make for a breathtaking three minutes and eleven seconds.